Stretch Princess

Stretch Princess was a British alternative rock band that formed in London, England in 1996. The band consisted of Jo Lloyd (vocals, bass, and piano), James Wright (guitar), and Dave Magee (drums). The band is mainly known for having its music featured in various films and television series, especially "Sorry", which was the lead track in the soundtrack of 1999 teen thriller Teaching Mrs. Tingle.

They released two studio albums, Stretch Princess (1998) and Fun with Humans (2002), and three singles.

History

Background and formation

Jo Lloyd, born in Northern Ireland, had been attempting to make original compositions ever since her high school days, when she used to take piano classes. During her adolescence, she started meeting up with other musicians, further motivating her to pursue a career in music, which led to her not advancing into college after graduating. Instead, Lloyd performed at piano bars, playing casually alongside other musicians.

Dave Magee started learning music the age of 9. At first, he aspired to learn the saxophone, which he incorrectly believed to be an instrument played on the theme song of british animated series The Wombles. Around the same age, however, he was gifted a drum kit and start playing it. Lloyd reported that the guitarist had been in England for only a few weeks when he contacted her and Magee and had answered thes advertisement "just for a laugh". Wright was accepted into the group, forming Stretch Princess. which featured exclusively new bands. Lloyd reported that Stretch Princess got a lot of interest from british record labels but that she and the other members felt intimidated by the attention. Following the event, the trio would distance itself from the public to improve their playing and songwriting skills, composing many songs Lloyd considered "really good" with relative quickness. The guitarist also claimed that the band always knew their music "would be better suited to American audiences". with the song "Sorry" being released as a lead single. The record was positively received by critics, including Ira Robbins, editor of british rock and roll magazine Trouser Press, who placed it on his "Top 10 Albums for 1998" and described the trio as "energetic and confident". In 1999, "Sorry" peaked at #27 on Billboards Adult Top 40 chart. The same year would see the release of "Free", another song first featured in Stretch Princess, as a single.

Following the release of Stretch Princess, the group toured frequently, being paired with bands such as Third Eye Blind and Better than Ezra. During the break, the group continued to compose songs for their next album and Wright worked as a private investigator to supplement his income.

Magee eventually recovered from the tumor and, in August of 2002, the band would release their second album, Fun with Humans, produced with the aid of Luke Ebbin and Chris Johnson. and would reach #30 on the Billboards Adult Top 40 chart on the same year. The album's second song and lead single "Sorry" is strongly asssociated with the 1999 film Teaching Mrs. Tingle and the film The Shrink Is In (2001). The latter featured "Oooh!" in its soundtrack as well, with the song also being used in the German TV show Mein Leben & Ich. Other songs from the band's debut record utilized in media include "Sugar", featured in She's All That (1999) and "Universe", which was played in the first episode of the fourth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

From Fun with Humans, "Time and Time Again" was featured in the first episode of the second season of Smallville.

Band members

Dave Magee - drums (1996–2002)
James Wright - guitar (1996–2002)
Jo Lloyd - vocals, bass, piano (1996–2002)

Discography

Studio albums

1998: Stretch Princess
2002: Fun with Humans

Singles

1998: Sorry